We can leave Pittsburg [where our jets are based] and arrive at our destination quicker than we can get to the nearest commercial airport [which is two hours away].
--Ken Brock, CEO of Pittsburg, Kan.-based Names and Numbers

Business aviation's biggest event-the annual National Business Aviation Association Convention-will be held in Atlanta this year, October 19 to 21. The Georgia World Congress Center will host the exhibits and more than 100 education and maintenance and operation sessions while DeKalb-Peachtree Airport will present the static display of aircraft.

Remember the CEOs from Chrysler, Ford and GM who flew on business jets to Washington to testify before a Congressional committee in the fall of 2008? Pressed to explain their use of corporate aircraft, they all looked and sounded as if they'd been caught doing something wrong.

"Once you have sipped the sweet nectar of freedom, you don't go back. If I had to fly commercial and could stay in the suite in the top of a hotel or take a private plane and stay in just a room, I'd say, 'Give me the plane.' The airport experience is an on­going, deteriorating horror story."
--political consultant James Carville

ELSEWHERE IN THIS ISSUE, YOU'LL FIND PLENTY of discussion about the tangible and intangible benefits of using business aviation, but what about the expenses? Nobody ever said flying privately is cheap, but the good news is that it can be less costly than you might think-if you take steps to minimize expenses.

Supporters of business aviation often point out that there are more than 5,000 airports in the U.S. that are accessible by general aviation aircraft. But that figure includes everything from large international airline hubs to tiny grass strips.

ALL TRANSPORTATION METHODS INVOLVE some risk, but corporate/executive business jets enjoy a stellar safety record, with only one fatal accident since 2007. That's according to statistics on U.S.-registered aircraft from Robert E. Breiling Associates, an aviation-safety research firm.

One of the big advantages bizav has over airline travel is your ability to get more done by hitting multiple stops in a single day. Now, thanks to in-flight Internet services such as Aircell's GoGo Biz, Inmarsat's SwiftBroadband and ViaSat's Yonder Broadband, you can do more on the way, too.

Over the years, more than a few all-business-class airlines have tried to lure customers who might otherwise opt for private aviation. What we haven't often seen is a corporate flight department trying to morph itself into an airline with the same goal in mind. But that has happened at least once.

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Quote/Unquote

“[New billionaires in fast-growing countries] have to buy longer-range airplanes. If you’re flying from Mongolia to Nigeria, it’s either a three-day journey flying commercial or a nine-hour flight on your jet.”